Some of you may not realize that, in addition to my Not A Blog, I also have an actual homepage / website. You can find it here: http://www.georgerrmartin.com/ Check it out, if you have not visited before. There's lots and lots of content there, all sorts of things to explore.

I must confess, though, I don't update it as often as I should. What can I say? I'm busy.

But today we uploaded a couple of new items that some of you may be interested in: new samples from two forthcoming books.

For all the Wild Cards fans out there, we've got a taste of HIGH STAKES, due out this August. HIGH STAKES is the twenty-third volume in the overall series, and the third and concluding part of the 'Fort Freak' triad. The sample is from the pen of the talented Ian Tregillis, and features Mollie Steunenberg, aka Tesseract. You'll find it at: http://www.georgerrmartin.com/wild-cards-excerpt/

((Readers with weak stomachs be warned, HIGH STAKES is our Lovecraftian horror book, and things do get graphic and bloody and... well... horrible. Althought not so much in the sample)).

And... because I know how much bitching I'd get if I offered a new sample from Wild Cards without also doing one from A SONG OF ICE & FIRE... we've also changed the WINDS OF WINTER sample on my wesbite, replacing the Alayne chapter that's been there for the past year with one featuring Arianne Martell. (Some of you may have heard me read this one at cons).

You want to know what the Sand Snakes, Prince Doran, Areo Hotah, Ellaria Sand, Darkstar, and the rest will be up to in WINDS OF WINTER? Quite a lot, actually. The sample will give you a taste. For the rest, you will need to wait.

And no, just to spike any bullshit rumors, changing the sample chapter does NOT mean I am done. See the icon up above? Monkey is still on my back... but he's growing, he is, and one day...

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Comments

So just to clarify. The rumors of the novel being edited by your publishers and due out by the end of May are complete crap, correct? Love the chapter, George. Take your time with the novel, you are a genius!

Wow, Son of Kong is actually a real monkey - anyone remember Dieter from Sprockets (old Saturday night live..ok not that old..). WOULD YOU LIKE TO TOUCH MY MONKEY!?

Thanks for the chapter George, appreciate it. Keep plugging away as you can, and make no apologies for your time and updates on your home page. It's your time after all, we're all just along for the ride, and lucky for that.

One of the things that fascinates me most about the ASOIAF books is the mysteries of the known world and the many secrets that exist. You have revealed small chunks of Sothoryos and Ulthos on the map, however what we know about these places remains almost unknown. So I have two questions:

1) Would you ever consider doing a POV from a character elsewhere in the known world?

2) Are you likely to ever release a more detailed map set as the story progresses?

I would absolutely love this if we knew more about the world - not only would it be thrilling to read but it would also shake things up a lot!

First off, I absolutely love ASOIAF and thanks for the sample chapter! I'm eagerly awaiting 'Winds' and I know that you'll craft another outstanding piece of literature.

While confessing that I've not read any of 'Wild Cards,' I am very intrigued by the ideas embodied within- alternate history, science fiction, multiple authors contributing to lore and narrative. My dad and I have a hobby of sharing sci-fi/fantasy books (ASOIAF & The Expanse among our more recent entries) and enjoy the discussion that ensues between us.

My question(s) for you... if we were to embark upon the Wild Cards series together, what's a good starting point? Is there an order in which they should be read, such as chronologically by release date? Are the stories even released in the timeline's chronological order? Can they be read out of order? Do you have any personal favorites or standouts that are true "can't miss" stories in the series? Just looking for guidance on where to start.

Thank you Mr. Martin for releasing this chapter, which has made my entire week. The complex Dornish political position and its relation to Jon Connington is one of the most fascinating subplots that has developed in your books. Arianne and her party are delightfully entertaining, and I'm grateful to have had this opportunity to check in on them!

Thank you for the new sample chapter Ser. Love Arianne, it is criminal what they've done to Dorne in the TV Series, and leaving out Arianne was one of the worst decisions. She's one of my favorite characters in the whole series, while her father is another brilliant character you've given us.

On a different note, I was curious who your favorite NON-POV character in the series is. Any chance you could share?

I own the paperback editions of the ASOIAF books which are not in a very good state after only reading them once (the foil on the covers is coming off) so I 'm planning to buy the hardcover versions when i'll reread the books. However, I'm currently reading a Knight of The Seven Kingdoms, with the awesome illustrations. I was wondering if there are similar editions planned for the main ASOIAF books? I'm asking this because it would be annoying to purchase the regular hardcover only to find out a nicer version releases soon after.